A Singapore-based practice Ministry of Design have realised this dramatic, triangular permanent show gallery and tourist information centre in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin. Featuring characteristic sharp edges and sky-piercing roof, the 750-square meters Triple V Gallery encompasses three spaces of diverse functions: a tourist information centre, a gallery and a discussion lounge. Completed in only four months, the sea-facing pre-weathered Corten steel-clad building was officially opened in November 2011.

Triple V Gallery by Ministry of Design; photo by Edward Hendricks

More about the project:

‘Designed as a permanent show gallery and tourist information center, MOD’s dramatic design for the Triple V Gallery has become an icon along the Dong Jiang Bay coastline. Despite its obvious sculptural qualities, the building’s DNA evolved rationally from a careful analysis of key contextual & programmatic perimeters – resulting in the Triple V Gallery’s triangulated floor plan as well as the 3 soaring edges that have come to define its form. The client’s program called for 3 main spaces: a tourist information center, a show gallery & a lounge for discussion.

‘Requiring their own entrances, the tourist center and the show gallery are orientated to separate existing pedestrian pathways and can be operated independently. An extension of the show gallery, the lounge area is where discussions are conducted. This space takes advantage of the panoramic views of the coastline and comprises a sculptural bar counter. Tectonically, the building responds to the coastal setting and is finished in weather-sensitive Corten steel panels on its exterior and timber strips on the interior walls and ceiling for a more natural feel.’